Weekly inflation rises 1.89% as fuel prices push SPI higher

Weekly inflation measured by the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) increased by 1.89 percent during the week ended March 11, 2026, according to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics on Thursday.

The SPI for the combined consumption group rose to 341.42 points compared with 335.09 points in the previous week. On a year-on-year basis, the index recorded an increase of 6.44 percent.

The SPI, with base year 2015–16, tracks price movements of 51 essential items across 17 urban centres for different income groups.

For the lowest consumption group earning up to Rs17,732, the index rose by 0.66 percent to 325.62 points from 323.48 points a week earlier.

Other consumption groups also recorded increases. The index rose by 0.94 percent for the Rs17,733–22,888 group, 1.12 percent for the Rs22,889–29,517 group, 1.50 percent for the Rs29,518–44,175 group and 2.49 percent for the highest income group above Rs44,175.

Out of the 51 monitored items, prices of 14 items increased during the week, nine declined and 28 remained unchanged.

Major increases were recorded in petrol, which rose by 20.60 percent, followed by diesel at 19.54 percent and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) at 12.13 percent. Other items registering increases included onions, bananas, wheat flour, chicken, pulse mash, firewood, pulse gram, fresh milk and cooked beef.

Prices of several items declined during the week, including tomatoes, potatoes, garlic, rice IRRI-6/9, pulse masoor, mustard oil, pulse moong and sugar.

On a year-on-year basis, the largest increases were recorded in diesel, gas charges for the first quarter, LPG, wheat flour and petrol. Other items showing annual increases included chili powder, beef, powdered milk, mutton, gur, rice basmati broken and cooked beef.

Meanwhile, prices of potatoes, chicken, eggs, tomatoes, pulse gram, garlic, salt powder and sugar declined compared with the same week last year.